140204 pigs at Stone & Thistle farm (6/8)

At Stone & Thistle Farm in E. Meredith, NY, farmhand Jordan Finkelstein provides a hundred pigs with fresh dry mulch during winter months when the free-range pigs mostly stay indoors. The pigs here, who consume a thousand pounds of food per day, now get some of their food from SUNY Oneonta. A new partnership the college and two local farms funnels tons of kitchen waste from dining halls and catering operation into the troughs of hungry pigs. Because of food safety regulations, only...more »

At Stone & Thistle Farm in E. Meredith, NY, farmhand Jordan Finkelstein provides a hundred pigs with fresh dry mulch during winter months when the free-range pigs mostly stay indoors. The pigs here, who consume a thousand pounds of food per day, now get some of their food from SUNY Oneonta. A new partnership the college and two local farms funnels tons of kitchen waste from dining halls and catering operation into the troughs of hungry pigs. Because of food safety regulations, only pre-consumer food waste can be used, but there’s still plenty to go around. Up to 2 tons is collected in college kitchens each month and picked up twice a week by local pig farmers.

Though the savings resulting from reducing the amount of garbage the college produces is minimal, there are broader environmental and ethical reasons for decreasing food waste. “Food waste is a global issue,” said Diane Williams, executive director of Oneonta Auxiliary Services. “Producing grain and soy to feed animals causes deforestation and pollution, and diverts crops from the food supply. By partnering with local farmers to reduce waste, we’re contributing to the solution, not the problem.”